National Movement’s Activist Hit Journalist of Information Center of Kakheti

Activist of the United National Movement’s Gurjaani office Guram Gurgenishvili physically assaulted journalist Natalia Sarkisashvili of the Information Center of Kakheti when she was performing professional activities; he hindered his work and seized video-camera.

Journalist was video-recording citizens victimized by natural disaster in Velistsikhe village who complained about the government. National Movement’s activist approached the journalist at that time and put hand on her camera. The journalist called upon him to stop interference in her professional activities and continued shooting the incident; suddenly the activist of the ruling party twisted the hand of the journalist and seized camera. Natalia Sarkisashvili tried to get back the camera but the activist hit her several times; the journalist was not seriously injured during the incident.

According to the ICK, Guram Gurgenishvili works at a budget funded organization.

Giorgi Botkoveli, coordinator of the National Movement’s Kakheti regional office, said their activist would not have interfered in the journalist’s activist. “I do not know what happened; but I definitely know that our activist would never have interfered in the professional activities of a journalist. Maybe the incident really happened, but he was not our activist,” Botkoveli said.

ICK will soon publish video of the incident. 

ICK